


The Morning After

by craterdweller



Series: All Tied Up [3]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Morning After
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-05 23:49:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1836637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craterdweller/pseuds/craterdweller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Immediately follows “Soft Touch”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Morning After

Rupert Giles awoke to the sun streaming through his bedroom window. He smiled down at the blonde head resting on his chest. True to her word, she had awoken after a short nap and untied him. He then showed her all the ways that he loved her. He felt her stir and he closed his eyes. Best let her believe he was still asleep and give her a graceful out. It was not her fault that he had fallen in love with her. He knew that she wasn’t attracted to him. She’d been quite vocal about that. In her eyes he was ewww, and very, very old and gross. He could have himself a good cry after she’d gone. He just hoped that his actions of last night would not drive her from him forever. She was blameless as she had been under a lust spell. His frowned. But when she had freed him, he never should have taken advantage. It was unforgivable.

Buffy woke when she felt Giles tense underneath her. Knowing her Watcher he’d probably been awake for awhile. She smiled when she realized that he’d probably stayed just so that she wouldn’t wake up alone. She had a horrible track record with morning afters. She sighed and snuggled closer. She briefly wondered why he seemed so tense. She rubbed her cheek against his chest hair and let her hand travel down his body. “MMM. Morning, Giles.” She sighed happily when her hand reached its destination, his morning erection twitched into her caress.

“Buffy?” It was part question, part gasp as she continued to fondle him. _Was she still under a lust spell? Why hadn’t she told him off for being such a pillock? Or slapped him? Or inflicted any number of other grievous injuries on him._

She stopped at his questioning tone. Doubts flooded through her mind. _Was she not good? Did he not want her?_ She looked up at saw his eyes were full of doubt and oh god, pain.

“Are you still under a lust spell? I know you’d never… I can only imagine how disgusted with me you must be …”

“God, Giles. I’m so sorry. You must hate me. I know you don’t feel that way about me …”

“What?”

“What?”

They both paused and looked at each other sheepishly. Finally Giles decided he should go first. After all it might be the last chance he’d have to apologize to her. “Buffy, you were under a lust spell last night. One I’m afraid Ethan may be responsible for. I know you’d never entertain the idea of, our um, activities of last night, otherwise. It is I who should apologize. I was under no such spell other than the feelings I already had for you, as inappropriate as they are. I shan’t ask your forgiveness Buffy, for I deserve none. I …”

She stopped him with a finger to his lips. “What feelings, Giles? And why are they inappropriate?” She felt a slight glimmer of hope. They were both under a truth spell last night and he had said he’d wanted her. And now he was both stuttering and getting stuffy. Maybe it was more than just lust.

Giles furrowed his brow in confusion. Of all the things he’d rambled on about during his pathetic apology leave it to Buffy to pick out the one thing he had hoped that she had not caught. Mortified, he looked down at himself before lifting his eyes to hers. “I’m not sure when exactly it happened, but as I watched you grow into this strong, beautiful, young woman, I fell in love with you. I never meant for you to know. I wouldn’t even admit it to myself until last night under Ethan’s blasted truth spell. And …”

He was cut off by his Slayer’s kiss. He tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let him. “Giles!”

“Buffy.”

“Hush. It’s my turn to explain. I wasn’t under a lust spell last night. True, I was horny from the slayage, but I could have gone elsewhere. But that truth spell last night? It made me realize that the reason I kept saying those mean and untrue things about you was because I was jealous. Like you, I was in serious denial. That Travers guy said that you loved me like a daughter, so I kept telling myself that it was wrong to want you that way. I was afraid I’d lose you if you ever found out, so I buried it. I acted like a spoilt child every time you were with another woman. But last night, after I untied you and you made love to me, I felt so cherished.  And when I woke up this morning in your arms, all happy and glowy, I realized that this is what love is supposed to feel like. I don’t have to tell you how new that was to me.”

Giles puzzled over what she was telling him. _That must have been my hopeful ear. Buffy did not just say that she was in love with me. No, I know she has some affection for me, but more like an old, favorite stuffed toy._

“Giles! Stop that!”

“Stop what?” He tried to pull his arm away from her. _Oh god, did I molest her again._

“Stop with the self-doubting! I can see you beating yourself up. I just told you that I’m in love with you too, so now make with the smoochies.” Her hand resumed her earlier explorations.

He blinked and then gave into the force that was Buffy. He smiled. It’s what he wanted anyway.

A short while later when Ethan and Olivia let themselves into Giles’ apartment, they found the pair cuddled up in bed. As they turned to leave Buffy whispered, “Wait, please.”

They stopped in stunned silence. They thought they had been stealthy.

“Slayer hearing," she offered as explanation.  "I wanted to thank you both,” she indicated the sleeping man beside her. “He needs friends his own age. And you two obviously love him very much.” She gave Olivia a significant look. “So, maybe when you’re in town, we could get together, like friends.” This time she turned the look on Ethan. “I think he’d like that.”

They both nodded and smiled in agreement.

“Next month is his birthday. I want to throw him a party. Maybe if you guys aren’t busy, you could come?”

When Giles began to stir, his two oldest friends decided it was time to take their leave. They locked the front door behind them and headed to Ethan’s hotel room to plot. They were going to make sure Ripper’s birthday party was unforgettable.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Cotton_candy Bingo Prompt: Cuddle


End file.
